Was Myra Necessary In The Story

Discuss the October 2017 Book of the Month, Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon.

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Espie
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Re: Was Myra Necessary In The Story

Post by Espie »

Jkhorner wrote: 04 Mar 2018, 20:55 I read this book in February so I’m a little late to the discussion - but I submit that not only is Myra unnecessary, but so is William. Hear me out:

William is supposed to be the most native-like, and Myra the most enthusiastic about her history. But Tom also had native blood, and cared to some extent about his history: all three of the main adults are tall stubborn outdoorsmen with native heritage. I think they were all pretty shallow characters, but if you combined all of their traits into one person - Tom - then you’d have a far more complex character and the story could focus on his growing relationship with his granddaughter. I don’t care if Sarah and Myra get along. I don’t care if Sarah and William get along. I just want Tom and Sarah to grow alongside one another and Tom can be the one to share their native heritage with Sarah.

So Myra as a separate character didn’t need to exist, though certainly some of her traits should be retained.
I just read the book so I'm a much-later bloomer than you were. I also believe the author portrayed the characters as they were for a good reason.
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Espie
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Post by Espie »

Clinical1 wrote: 06 Mar 2018, 17:33 Myra served as the liaison between Sarah's youth and the two older men. She helped Sarah to relate to her grandfather and to William. Sarah's experience currently living with and working with those on the reservation gave credibility to the Indian beliefs.
She was very necessary.
I also hoped that something will patch up the relationship between Sarah and her grandfather, and I have to give the credit for it to Myra, among others.
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Post by Espie »

mamalui wrote: 12 Mar 2018, 13:41 She was necessary as a friend to Sarah and as a woman whom Sarah could relate easily to also she was important as a mediator between Sarah and her grandfather.
It's a relief, indeed, that Myra was there to help patch things up.
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Post by Espie »

KLafser wrote: 12 Mar 2018, 15:04 Absolutely! For the reasons stated above as kind of a go between for Sarah and her grandfather as well as to represent the interest of the native people. Yes, Tom had native blood but he hadn't explored it and didn't have the pride of the people that Myra (and William) had. The comment that perhaps William was not necessary sat with me a moment and I could almost agree but if he's not there, who tempers Myra in the main body of the story. I don't think it would have worked without him providing that calming factor.

I also think Myra was necessary to challenge Sergei's point of view. It would have been too neat to bring Sergei along and easily tie up Sarah's story. He needed to be a true scientist focused on data, argue with Myra, and hear Sarah's story to consider a new theory.

Just my thoughts - I love the discussion and very much enjoyed the book.
Myra was all of that and more, indeed. She's a necessary ingredient to make the recipe work.
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Post by Espie »

onixpam wrote: 30 Mar 2018, 20:12 Myra is important, without her, Sara will never come back to Tom's life. I think Myra, in some way, was the one to start the legend and Sara just fill the empty spaces between Myra's point of view and Sergei's need of facts.
That's interesting. Something needs to start somewhere, indeed. Part of me would like to give Myra's theories and assumptions a fighting chance, too.
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Post by dtb »

I think this question is interesting. If you consider the process of writing and the goals of a writer you can debate whether a character is necessary or what job they do from the perspective of helping the story. If the story were a true story we would not ask if an individual is necessary. We would just consider who they were and what role they played in the unfolding of events. Now I am thinking about characters in a different way.
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Post by 10mile72 »

I think she was a good character. Helped provide some balance -- two guys and two gals. I also liked the way the author developed her relationship with Sarah. Kind of like a big sister.
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Post by Saddamkofa »

Myra is indeed important, for she keep the discussion going by challenging the notion of the scientists for neglecting oral evidence. She also help to keep Sarah company in a midst of old gramps.
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Post by LaurenHaupt »

I think with Myra just being a female, Sarah had someone to relate to.So yes I think her role was important.
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Post by Barbie_sidhu »

I loved every character of the book and without Mayra their would have been a void in it. She is portrayed as a strong female character.
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Post by Allybuggyboo »

I think Myra was important to the story even if she was only there in the beginning. Sarah needed a matronly figure on the hike to empathize with her struggle. Myra may not be super involved in moving the plot early on but she's a relatable character that the early storyline desperately needs.
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Post by Mrunal Tikekar »

Initially I though she was the most relevant character. She was kind of smart, and one who could possible reconcile folklores with science. But after Sergei's entry, her character became increasingly annoying. In a pursuit of arguing with Sergei over nothing, she lost her initial element and I wished she was never there in the book.
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Post by HanElizabeth397 »

I liked how passionate she was about her heritage and I also felt like she was needed to bridge the gap between Tom and Sarah sometimes
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Post by Ria710 »

Myra was someone that Sarah could talk to. Myra understood Sarah when her grandfather couldn't at some parts because of the age difference.
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Post by Sumansona1344 »

Espie wrote: 27 May 2018, 19:34
Kuolettava wrote: 30 Jan 2018, 14:59 Myra is important to this story. I don’t think any of what happened would have happened as smoothly were it not for her. I know that there was a lot of conflict in the group, but Myra was a great mediator between Sarah and Tom specifically. She helped give Sarah a grounding point so she could adjust easier to the vastly different environment from what she was used to.

Myra was also a crucial part of not only helping Sergei cope with the loss of his father, but for William coping with the loss of a dear friend. While Sergei had someone to challenge him, William had someone who helped to keep the balance between what he had lost and what he had left.

Personally, I don’t think the author handled grief very well, but the effort is clearly there.
I also agree with the importance of Myra's role in balancing situations and filling in the gaps of and for the other characters. Our ability and decisions in coping with what life's would have for us are influenced by several factors, including but not limited to situations and intentions.
Yes, I completely agree with you! Moreover, Myra was my favorite character in the story.
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